Pipe cutter



Oct. 27, 1942 1.. .1. STEIN PIPE CUTTER Filed May 4, 1940 4 W 355? H 5 ll 4 hmEn\\\\\\\\\\\\v INVENTOR Leon J. Stein ATTORN EYS Patented Oct. 27, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PIPE CUTTER Leon J. Stein, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application May 4, 1940, Serial No. 333,401

4 Claims.

This invention relates to pipe cutters and has as its object the production of a device of this class which can be used in cutting fixed pipes which are positioned in room corners and other places which are difficult of access.

It often becomes necessary in plumbing work to cut a fixed pipe which is part of the plumbing system of a building. Examples of such fixed pipes are the pipes which are connected to a sink or a bathtub. In cutting these pipes, the plumber uses a hack saw. There are many in stances, however, where the pipe is located in a corner of a room or some other place where it is most difficult, if not impossible, to use a hack saw. It is the object of this invention to produce a device, which will be easy to manufacture, a.: semble and use, which will readily cut fixed pipes and particularly those positioned in places which are difficult of access.

I accomplish the foregoing, as well as other objects, by forming a pipe cutter of a short L-shaped base member which has rotatably attached thereto at one of the ends thereof a short latching foot and which has rotatably attached thereto at the other of the ends thereof a short threaded latching bolt on which is threadably mounted a latching knob. Each of the arms of the L-shaped base member and the arch portion of the latching foot carries a rotatable cutting disc. The latching foot terminates in toes which form an angle with the arch portion of said foot. This structure makes it possible to properly clamp and apply cutting pressure upon pipes of varying diameter, and yet use a comparatively short base member, latching foot and latching bolt. I have found that as a result of my structure I can build a cutter wherein the L-shaped base member is three inches in length, the latching foot three and one-half inches in length, and the latching bolt four and a half inches in length which will cut pipes varying from the smallest external diameter in use to one inch.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention with the particularity required by law, I have shown in the drawings which form a part hereof, and will now describe, one of the many possible physical embodiments of my inventive concepts.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the novel pipe cutter. The pipe cutter is shown in association with a pipe which is to be cut. The pipe is positioned in a corner of a room. The room walls and the pipe are shown in section. The full lines show the cutter in the cutting position. The dot and dash lines show the movable elements of the cutter as they appear at certain phases in the use of the pipe cutter.

' Figure 2 is a side View, looking in the direction of the arrow A2 of Figure 1, when the cutter is in the cutting position. A portion of the metal has been broken away to more clearly show the end of the screw which serves as a shaft for one of the cutting discs.

Figure 3 is a side view, looking in the direction of the arrow A3 in Figure 1, when the latching foot is in the cutting position and the latching bolt is in the raised (dot and dash) position. The latching bolt has been raised in order to more clearly show otherwise hidden parts. Only a fragment of the latching bolt has been shown for the sake of brevity.

Figure 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a section taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a section taken along the line 66 of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a side view of a fragment, looking in the direction of the arrow A'! in Figure 1. A portion of the metal has been broken away to more clearly show the end of a screw which serves as a shaft for one of the cutting discs.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, wherein similar reference numerals denote similar parts, reference numeral l designates the pipe cutter as a unit. The pipe cutter I consists of an L-shaped base member 2, a latching foot 3, a latching bolt 4, a latching knob 5, and the three cutting discs 6.

The L-shaped base member 2 consists of the arms I and 8. The arm I is forked at its free end 9. The groove NJ in the forked end 9 receives the finger II of the latching foot 3. A double-headed rivet l2 extends through suitable apertures formed in the prongs l3 and [4 of the forked end 9 and in the finger H. The rivet l2 has the double function of connecting the latching foot 3 to the arm 7 and serving as a shaft on which the latching foot 3 rotates relatively to the arm 1. The arm 1 has formed therein a housing slot I5 which houses one of the three cutting discs 6. A screw IS threaded at one end !8 extends through suitable apertures formed in the wall IQ of the housing slot [5 and in the cutting disc 6. The threaded end I8 of the screw IE threadably engages the threads of a threaded aperture formed in the wall 20 of the housing slot I5. The body member I! of the screw It serves as a shaft for the cutting disc 6. The arm 8 is generally similar in structure and function to the arm 7. The arm 8 has formed therein a housing slot 2i which is identical in structure and function to the housing slot [5. The housing slot 2| houses the second of the three cutting discs 6. The arm 8 is forked at its end 22. The forked end 22 is generally similar in structure and function to the forked end 9. The groove 23 in the forked end 22 snugly receives the finger 24 of the latching bolt 4. A double-headed rivet 52 extends through suitable apertures formed in the prongs 25 and 26 of the forked end 22 and in the finger 24. The double-headed rivet l2 serves as the means which connects the arm 8 to the latching bolt 4 and as a shaft on which the latching bolt 4 rotates relatively to the arm 8.

The latching foot 3 consists of the arch portion 21 and the ball and toe portion 28. The arch portion 2'1 has formed therein a housing slot ti which is identical in structure and function to the housing slots I and 2!. The housing slot M houses the third of the cutting discs 6. The ball and toe portion 23 terminates at its free end in the toes 29-49 which bound, form, and define the groove 38.

The latching bolt 4 is threaded for substantially its entire length and has threadably mounted therein the latching knob 5. The length of the latching bolt is such that it will permit the latching knob 5 to move to the position necessary to encompass the pipe of the greatest diameter which the pipe cutter I has been designed to cut.

The latching knob 5 consisting of a top-like body portion 3.! which terminates in a head 32. The head 32 has the flutes 33 formed therein in the sides thereof for the purpose of giving the user a better grip thereon. A bore 34 extends downwardly from the upper face 35 of the latching knob 5. The bore 3 reduces the number of threads which engage the latching knob thereby making it easier to manipulate the knob. The curved lower surface 36 of the top-like body portion i contacts the curved surface 313l formed near the inner edge of each of the toes 29-429. This curved surface 3'!3l is desirable since it provides a firmer seat for the latching knob 5 than would be provided by a flat surface. The curvature of the surface 3l31 is such as to conform with the curvature of the surface 36 which it contacts.

The cutting discs 5 are of the type well known in the art and consist of a body member 38 which terminates in the cutting blade 38. The width of the body member 38 is such that it will be snugly received within the housings 15, 2| and 29. The clearance between the side walls of the body member 38 and the inner surface of the walls of the housing which are contiguous to said cutting disc side walls should be the smallest possible which will not interfere with the rotation of the discs. Similarly, the clearance between the side walls of the fingers H and 2s and the inner surface of the fork prongs contiguous to said finger side walls should be the smallest possible which will not interfere with the rotation of the latching foot 3 and latching bolt 4.

In using my device, I proceed as follows:

Let it be assumed that I normally keep the pipe cutter l in the latched position. I therefore manipulate the latching knob 5 so that it moves up the latching bolt in the direction of the arrow D-i a distance suificient to permit me to swing the latching bolt 4 to its dotand dash line position shown in Figure 1. At the same time, I also swing the latching foot 3 to its dot and dash line position shown in Figure 1. Since the base member 2, the latching foot 3, and the latching bolt 3 are short, and since the latching foot 3 and latching bolt 4 rotate freely on the ends of the base member 2, I am able to manipulate the unit in the manner necessary to cause it to assume the position shown by the dot and dash lines in Fi ure 1 and from thence move the latching foot 3 and the latching bolt 4 from the dot and dash line position shown in Figure 1 to their respective full line positions in said figure. In order to fully accomplish this, it is necessary to turn the locking knob 5 in the direction required to move it to a position where it will not prevent the locking bolt 4 from entering the groove 38 between the toes 2929 of the locking foot. At this point in the operation, the latching knob 5 would be a little higher than that shown by the full lines in Figure 1. I now turn the latching knob in the direction necessary to cause the latching knob to move in the direction of the arrow 13-2. This in turn causes the body member 2, the latching foot 3, and the latching bolt 3 to adjust themselves relatively to each other until the blades 39 contact and bite into the pipe 40 being cut. I now grasp the pipe cutter I by the latching knob 5 and oscillate the cutter once or twice. During this oscillation the blades 39 of the cutting discs ii cut into the pipe 39 for a certain depth. I then turn the latching knob 5 in the direction necessary to cause said latching knob 5 to move in the direction of the arrow Dl to the point where the blades 39 of the cutting disc 6 bite into the pipe 40. Then I again oscillate the pipe cutter l in the manner hereinabove specified. I repeat this procedure until I sever the pipe M.

The foregoing disclosure is to be understood as being for the purpose of illustration only and not limitation, since many changes may be made in the structure herein shown without departing from the spirit of my invention. For this reason, it is my desire that the claims which are hereunto appended for the purpose of defining my invention should be limited only by the prior art.

Having described my invention, what I claim' as new and useful is:

1. A pipe cutter consisting of an L-shaped base member; a latching foot somewhat longer than the length of said L-shaped base member rotatably attached at one of its ends to one of the free ends of said base member; said latching foot consisting of an arch portion and a ball and toe portion terminating in two spaced apart toes; a latching bolt somewhat longer than said latching foot and threaded for substantially the entire length thereof rotatably attached at one of its free ends to the other of the free ends of said base member and positioned for being received in and extending through the space between said spaced toes in certain positions of said latching foot and latching bolt thereby latching said latching foot and latching bolt against movement relatively to each other in all but one plane; cutting means rotatably mounted in said base member and said arch portion of said latching foot; and a latching knob threadably mounted on said latching bolt for latching said latching foot and latching bolt relatively to each other when said pipe cutter is in the position where it is encompassing a pipe which is to be cut and said latching bolt is within and extends through said space between said toes.

2. A pipe cutter consisting of an L-shaped base member; a latching foot somewhat longer than the long arm of said L-shaped base member rotatably attached at one of its ends to the free end of the short arm of said L-shaped base member, said latching foot consisting of an arch portion and a ball and toe portion terminating in two spaced apart toes; a latching bolt somewhat longer than said latching foot and threaded for substantially its entire length attached at one of its ends to the free end of the long arm of said L-shaped base member and positioned for being received in and extending through the space between said spaced apart toes in certain positions of said latching foot and latching bolt thereby latching said latching foot and latching bolt against movement relatively to each other in all but a single plane; and a latching knob threadably mounted on said latching bolt and positioned for contacting said spaced apart toes and latching said latching foot and latching bolt against movement in all directions relatively to each other when said pipe cutter is in the position where it is encompassing a pipe which is to be cut and said latching bolt is within and extends through said space between said toes.

3. A pipe cutter consisting of an L-shaped base member; a latching foot somewhat longer than the long arm of said L-shaped base member rotatably attached at one of its ends to the free end of the short arm of said L-shaped base member, said latching foot consisting of an arch portion and a ball and toe portion which extends at an angle to said arch portion and which terminates in two spaced apart toes; a latching bolt somewhat longer than said latching foot and threaded for substantially its entire length attached at one of its ends to the free end of the long arm of said L-shaped base member and positioned for being received in and extending through the space between said spaced apart ties in certain positions of said latching foot and latching bolt thereby latching said latching foot and latching bolt against movement relatively to each other in all but a single plane; and a latching knob threadably mounted on said latching bolt and positioned for contacting said spaced apart toes and latching said latching foot and latching bolt against movement in all directions relatively to each other when said pipe cutter is in the position where it is encompassing a pipe Which is to be cut and said latching bolt is within and extends through said space between said toes.

4. A pipe cutter consisting of an L-shaped base member the long arm of which is about 3 inches; a latching foot somewhat longer than the long arm of said L-shaped base member rotatably attached at one of its ends to the free end of the short arm of said L-shaped base member, said latching foot consisting of an arch portion and a ball and toe portion which extends at an angle to said arch portion and which terminates in two spaced apart toes; a latching bolt somewhat longer than said latching foot and threaded for substantially its entire length attached at one of its ends to the free end of the long arm of said L-shaped base member and positioned for being received in and extending through the space between said spaced apart toes in certain positions of said latching foot and latching bolt thereby latching said latching foot and latching bolt against movement relatively to each other in all but a single plane; and a latching knob threadably mounted on said latching bolt and positioned for contacting said spaced apart toes and latching said latching foot and latching bolt against movement in all directions relatively to each other when said pipe cutter is in the position where it is encompassing a pipe which is to be cut and said latching bolt is within and extends through said space between said toes.

LEON J S EIN, 

